The ghost-faced figure stared in sheer astonishment, its body writhing desperately, yet beneath the dominion of the law's power, it could only remain as a faint, wavering shadow—like a lump of dough—unable to transform into black mist and flee. "With my current strength, this Xuan Tian Sword can only exert a mere surface-level power, and even then, it possesses only a single strike's worth of force. Back then, when the battle first began, you might have still managed to escape its crushing might. But now, after countless lifetimes of gradual weakening, what hope do you have of breaking free?" Han Li said coldly, his hand gently shaking the jade-long sword, which then vanished instantly.
Yet no matter how loudly she screamed or struggled, once the azure glow truly descended, the ghostly face emitted a soft hiss and was instantly absorbed into the glow as a stream of black mist. A piercing, mournful cry rang out! The black mist was then torn to fragments by the swirling azure light and completely vanished. Almost at the very moment the heart-madness disappeared, the hazy space erupted into a deep hum, and the surrounding void began to crack and shatter, as if about to collapse entirely. Han Li's face lit up with relief. Without a word, he raised his hand toward the void and gently waved it. Instantly, the glow flickered and then vanished silently. At the same time, the emerald light on his arm flashed, and the sword scar that had just disappeared reappeared mysteriously, only to vanish again into his skin a moment later. With a tremendous roar, the entire space then shattered into scattered beams of luminous energy.
After Han Li's spiritual form slightly blurred, the golden light that had formed instantly shot forth ahead... Outside the basin, the large gray mirror in the sky shattered with a crisp sound, and a golden beam surged out from the crack, vanishing into the Yuan婴 below after a brief flash. The Yuan婴, which had remained motionless, immediately emitted a long, dragon-like roar, radiating intense golden light and transforming itself into a golden beam, returning to its physical body. At that very moment, Han Li's physical form opened his eyes, and a vast, harmonious aura, blending seamlessly with the heavens and earth, surged outward. A deep thunderous rumble echoed throughout the void, causing the dense, dark clouds in the sky to part. In their place, a continuous wave of vibrant, radiant light surged from all directions, gathering together above the basin and coalescing into a vast, dazzling sea of five hues—so brilliant that it completely engulfed Han Li's form, rendering him invisible.
At the center of the luminous sea, strands of crystalline filaments infused with a mysterious energy suddenly coalesced and shot forth with a sharp *shush*, *shush*. In a short while, Han Li was completely enveloped by a dense network of these filaments, yet more filaments continued to surge forward, relentlessly gathering. Within just a cup of tea's time, Han Li had transformed into a massive, luminous cocoon, shimmering and subtly visible, floating steadily within the sea of light. The various hues of radiance in the luminous sea flowed swiftly and continuously, accompanied by a steady, resonant roar, as though some immense and terrifying entity were taking shape. Far in the distance of the basin, not only did the skies on all sides glow brightly without interruption, but the seven suns that should have been visible were now largely absent—only three remained suspended in the sky. Even these three suns, however, now emitted a dimmer light, and faint streams of luminous filaments, like small streams of water, flowed downward and swiftly disappeared into the luminous sea.
At a low altitude far beyond, Crab Dao merely lifted his head to gaze at the unusual celestial phenomenon in the sky above, his face showing no change at all. However, the black-dressed woman and the bearded man, who were meditating seated upon a spinning disc and a massive gourd nearby, gasped in surprise upon seeing this sight. They exchanged glances and, simultaneously, both exclaimed, "Three Yang Infusion," their faces now displaying a mixture of sudden clarity and难以believable astonishment.
"...'Three Yang Infusion'—has the young man named Han truly attained the Great Perfection stage!" A voice of equal wonder echoed from another peak of the mountain range.
The speaker was獠影, a woman wearing a wolf-headed mask, whose facial expression remained unchanged. Yet, the unusual light in her eyes clearly indicated that her words were genuine and heartfelt.
"Indeed, Brother Han has already passed through the Heart-Monster Trial," the Silver Moon remarked, originally concerned about the dim, fading triple suns in the sky. Now, upon hearing this, she was filled with joy and quickly asked.
"Indeed."
He should now have fully exited the heart-magic realm, actively reconstructing his physical form using the primordial energies of heaven and earth, and the essence of the sun! With his original strength, he truly has no idea how much his powers will surge once he reaches the Great Perfection stage—by then, even his ancestors would likely no longer be his match. Liǎo Yǐng’s reply was quite direct, full of clear apprehension and respect for Han Li.
Upon hearing this, Yín Yuè was overjoyed.
At the same time, in another nearby grove, Xǔ Qiān Yǔ, witnessing the unusual celestial phenomena, was also murmuring in astonishment and awe.
"Three Yang Energies flowing through the body, a Great Perfection cultivator… How is this possible? How could someone have successfully broken through the Great Perfection threshold just ahead of us?"
The protectors are from the demon race—could it be that this person is another great transcendental being of the demon lineage, following after Master Ao Xiao? Though the other several Xu family cultivators behind her, limited by their own attainments and experience, may not fully understand the concept of "Three Yang Infusion," they certainly heard clearly the term "great transcendental cultivator" and grasped its significance. They all stared in open astonishment, utterly at a loss for words. It was no wonder they were so overwhelmed! For the great transcendental cultivators were, to these Xu family disciples, truly distant and aspirational figures—so far beyond their reach that they had rarely even seen one, and even stories related to transcendental cultivation were only occasionally shared as mere conversation topics. Now, Xu Qianyu herself stated that just a short distance away, there stood a newly achieved great transcendental cultivator—how could they possibly remain unshaken by such a revelation?
Though Xu Qianyu and these Xu family cultivators were filled with countless thoughts and uncertainties, under the vigilant monitoring of Yin Yue and Liao Ying, they dared make no other move, merely waiting in growing astonishment deep within the dense forest. Time slipped by, one moment at a time! Though only two hours had passed, to Yin Yue and the others, who were anxiously awaiting, it seemed as though they had endured a full month. Suddenly, as the massive cocoon at the heart of the distant Guanghai plateau shifted slightly, a rich, distinct fragrance emanated from within, growing stronger and more profound, filling the air with a deep, fragrant aroma. "Crack!" A fine crack appeared on the surface of the great luminous cocoon. Immediately, a heavenly melody of Buddhist chants resonated from within, followed by a cascade of golden-charactered symbols that spiraled and danced around the cocoon, rising and falling in graceful motion. Then, "Boom!" The entire cocoon burst open, the chanting abruptly ceasing. The golden symbols that had been swirling nearby were swept away by a sudden gust of wind and gradually vanished.
Where the Light Cocoon once stood, a figure of purple and golden hue materialized—none other than Han Li, who had finally completed the restoration of his physical form. After a brief moment, the fragrance emanating from the figure grew exceedingly faint, and then, as the light gradually faded, Han Li emerged with a calm and composed expression. At this moment, his face and attire remained unchanged from before, save for a slight increase in height—only a few inches more than previously. Yet, upon lowering his head to examine his body and gently clenching his fists, Han Li felt an inner surge of profound delight. It was now clear why, once attaining the stage of a Great Perfection cultivator, he could effortlessly overpower and even annihilate those at the Consolidation stage. Not only had his spiritual energy increased several-fold, but his newly restored physical body had grown nearly half stronger than before. However, the most significant transformation in his advancement to the Great Perfection stage lay in the true maturation of his Inner Infant Spirit. The Inner Infant Spirit now seated within his Dantian had undergone a complete transformation, differing markedly from its earlier state.
Though the Yuan'ing remained the same size as before, its face had clearly taken on the appearance of a mature adult, and it was now enveloped in a faintly green robe that seemed to be nearly the size of a fully grown Han Li shrunk down by more than ten times. After carefully inspecting his body with his divine awareness and finding no imperfection, Han Li could no longer suppress his excitement. He immediately raised his head and let out a long, resonant roar that surged straight into the heavens. The roar rolled out in a mighty, wave-like manner, growing louder with each passing moment, spreading out in all directions, so powerful that it caused nearby trees to tremble and rocks to roll down the mountain slopes, creating an impressive and awe-inspiring effect. This sustained roar lasted for several feet of distance—long enough to fill a full cup of tea—before Han Li finally released his excitement and closed his mouth to stop the roar.
At that moment, flashes of light danced on the distant horizon, and the Silver Moon Crab Daoist and others, accompanied by several others, arrived near the basin. Zhu Guo'er, especially, had already made her way to stand beside Han Li, bowing with the utmost respect and hands folded in quiet reverence.
"The innate conditions for becoming a master, besides requiring one to be a Bodhisattva or above, also demand the ability to sufficiently supply the energy needed for my activities. The immortal ancestors of the demonic clans cannot meet this requirement. Would Master Han care to listen now to my other demands?" Crab Dao replied in a composed, unenthusiastic tone.